The invention relates to a method and apparatus for restricting the use of computer software to a known group of users; and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for controlling the distribution of software products in Intranet or Internet environments.
As Intranet and Internet environments proliferate, a company's software becomes more subject to access by unauthorized individuals. It is therefore important to secure the software against unauthorized access, while, at the same time, enabling both the tracking of software use and the prevention of its unauthorized use.
The newspapers are replete with reports, lately, of "hackers" being able to penetrate, and acquire information and programs from, so-called secure systems. This information and program data may be the life blood of a company, and its unauthorized access by individuals, some of whom may be employees of the company itself, can cause severe damage to the reputation of the company and its financial health and viability. Companies often use, therefore, single, double, and more complex password security systems to prevent access to their systems by unauthorized users, but in addition must also be concerned about an authorized user, not having permission to use a particular software, who will still have access to the system.
Further, it is not common for the software programs themselves to be stored in an encoded manner nor is it common, once the individual has "broken in" to the system, to prevent access to much if not all of the data available to a typical user. It is therefore, important to protect to as high a degree as possible the software programs stored in systems which are accessible by more than one authorized user, and to enable tracking of the users accessing software using methodologies which are neither obvious nor easily detected.